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SIF Coverage: Update 3.0 Has Arrived

Update 3.0, it is finally out! After an initial delay, the update has finally gone live for the international server across all platforms be it, Android or iOS. Because this is a major update, the core program itself has to be updated via your platform's app store such as the Play Store for Android and App Store for iOS. There was much hype leading up to this much awaited update but, like every major update is is not without its hiccups as some players have experienced a certain number of issues. Playing on iOS 9.3.2., I am glad to report there are no notable issues thus far except for some slight performance issues. Although, that could be due to my iPad Air's hardware being a little dated by now.

For today, I am going to quickly run through what you would expect from the new update. Especially with the huge influx of new content, information and features, I am going to teach you how to tackle them effectively and efficiently. Upon clearing the update, the very first thing you would notice are the retrospective "goals" that you would have cleared.

Wade through a sea of reward screens and you will come across;

Yet, even more reward screens! I have mentioned earlier, as part of SIF EN's 2nd Anniversary, a Love Gem would be given out from May 17th till the 23rd as a special login bonus.

The rewards do not stop there though, as you will be prompted with yet another reward screen! This time, in commemoration of Update 3.0 going live. Players will receive seven days of special login bonuses consisting of Love Gems and a Green Scouting Ticket on the 4th day. Forget the one month delay, this was definitely worth the wait already!

Next up, you will be greeted with a slightly altered Home screen. The most notable change wouuld be the inclusion of backgrounds/wallpapers which can be changed with new ones unlocked by completing set Goals. Other changes include a badge displayed on the upper left corner, changes made to the Presents, Friends and New Notifications script boxes and the addition of a Goals and What's New script boxes. Lastly, the vital signs monitor, as I call it, on the upper right corner has been rearranged and resized. I am not quite a big fan of the last change as the new font sizes do appear to be a tad bit too small.

The "Other" tab has also received a major overhaul with the majority of the new features found here. These include, Goals, Titles, Sticker Shop and Wallpapers. I will run through them one by one but, for a more detailed explanation of each, you ought to check this amazing resource out instead.

Starting with the most awaited addition of them all, it is the Sticker Shop. The reason every EN player has been hoarding Rare(s) is because of this! Already unveiled in the JP server nearly a year back (August 2015), higher ranking EN players were aware of what was to come and started saving up all their extra copies of Rare cards, ultimately waiting to cash it in on the Sticker Shop. The Sticker Shop effectively allowed you to trade (via selling, training, special practice) in one member of R rarity and above for a sticker. A "normal" R would give you a "normal" sticker while a Super or Ultra Rare would net you a Super or Ultra Sticker, you get the point. These stickers could then be cashed in as a form of currency to get you new members, often Promo Idolized members which were not previously attainable otherwise. It is worth mentioning, 30 Normal Stickers gets you a single Blue Scouting Ticket and Promo members tend to be significantly weaker than their scouted counterparts. Hence, keep that in mind when you are aiming for maximum efficiency in spending your Stickers.

Moving on, we have the new Titles section which are very much like in-game badges to show off your achievements to other players. Players unlock more badges by completing specific challenges and can then select these badges to be displayed in their profile. The whole list of Titles and how to achieve them can be found here. While it may seem like long and daunting list at first, fret not as they are actually fairly easy to accomplish. Aim to finish two/three a day and you would have completed the list in no time. The hardest Title to get, "Nozomi Love" requires you to complete Jun'ai Lens which is unlocked from Chapter 31, Part 1 (Rank 121) which gives me the motivation to finally get on with the Story.

Next up, we have "Goals" section which is perhaps the most daunting of all with a huge list of challenges to complete. These goals further sub-divide into Daily, Important, Live, Member, Collection and Others. The whole exhaustive list can be found here but, even that does not provide solace for the sheer wall of challenges ahead. My recommendation? Focus your efforts entirely on completing the Daily and Live Goals. The other categories including, Important, are progression based goals and will automatically be completed along the way as you play. So, do not fret too much about it.

Why the stress on Daily Goals? Because, upon clearing the first level of Daily challenges, the second level is unlocked which essentially only requires to score a Full Combo (on any song) and be rewarded with 1 Love Gem. Do this consistently everyday and you are looking at 30 additional Love Gems a month! There is absolutely no reason to skip out on this even on your lazy days, the reward is just too lucrative. All rewards gained from completing Goals are then deposited into your Reward box.

The final addition to Version 3.0's feature-set are the addition of wallpapers. Although, I think "Backgrounds" would have been a more apt title. New backgrounds are unlocked as you progress throughout the story and can be changed at anytime your like. Feel free to mess around to find the one which suits your layout best.

Lastly, I would like to go through a few mechanics changes that had been implemented for the Version 3.0 update. By now, you would have seen the rather insane EXP bar. This is due to the EXP requirement for up to Rank 100 being halved and players being rewarded retrospectively with EXP they had gained previously. Next (not shown here) is LP Overflow where surplus LP is brought over into the next rank if a player ranks up while still having some LP left in reserve. This ties in extremely well with the compensated EXP as the next level for many players will see them having insane amounts of LP. All of this translates to, what I foresee, to be an extremely difficult upcoming Medley Festival.

Alright! Before I end this rather lengthy coverage of Version 3.0, let me share with you the latest addition to my collection. Personally I find this card to be extremely adorable, it is subtle reference to Nitta Emi's love of dinosaurs. With that, Tiro Finale's SIF coverage for the day comes to an end.

Once again, thanks so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!